Ardeshir Zahedi
Encyclopedia
Ardeshir Zahedi (born October 16, 1928) was an important Iran
ian diplomat during the 1960s and 1970s, serving as the country's foreign minister and its ambassador to the United States
and the United Kingdom
.
, he is the son of General Fazlollah Zahedi
, who served as Prime Minister after the fall of Mohammed Mossadegh. The younger Zahedi received a degree in Agriculture from Utah State University
in 1950, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma
. Seven years later, he married the daughter of the Shah of Iran, Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi; the marriage ended in divorce in 1964.
, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1966 to 1973.
Zahedi then became ambassador to the United States
from 1973 until the Iranian Revolution
climaxed in January 1979. During his second stint in Washington, he won a reputation for extravagance. In the mid-1970s, Zahedi became known as a companion of the American movie star Elizabeth Taylor
, with the two being dubbed "the hottest couple" in Washington D.C., according to the writer Barbara Howar. During the 1978 Hanafi Muslim Siege of a federal building in Washington, Zahedi and two other ambassadors from Muslim nations were able to talk the hostage takers into surrendering and releasing 149 hostages.
Over the course of 1978, it was reported in some circles that Zahedi urged the Shah to appease the rioters by making scapegoats of several high-ranking officials, including Amir Abbas Hoveida
(then Prime Minister) and SAVAK
director Nematollah Nassiri
. When the Shah fled Iran in 1979, Zahedi was still serving as Ambassador to Washington, but resigned as soon as Khomeini came to power. He started fervent attempts at securing asylum for the ailing Shah and the Imperial family in Panama, Mexico, Marrocco and finally Egypt. He was present at the Shah's death bed and funeral, in Cairo
in 1980.
Zahedi is now retired and living in Montreux
, Switzerland
. He has received honorary Doctoral Degrees of Law and Humanities from Utah State University
, East Texas State University, Kent State University
, St. Louis University, University of Texas, Montana State University
, Washington College
, Westminster College, Harvard University
, Chungang University of Seoul
, and the College of Political and Social Science of Lima in Peru
.http://www1.usu.edu/alumni/spotlight/zahedi.html In December 1976, in a ceremony held in Washington D.C., Mr. Zahedi was awarded the KAPPA Sigma Fraternity ‘Man of the Year’ Award.http://www1.usu.edu/alumni/spotlight/zahedi.html In 2002, he was inducted into to Alumni Hall of Honor of the Utah State University College of Agriculture.http://www1.usu.edu/alumni/spotlight/zahedi.html He has received many awards and honors from nations around the globe for his humanitarian service and record in international affairs.
In an interview in May 2006, Ardeshir Zahedi voiced his support for Iran's Nuclear Program stating it as an "inalienable right of Iran", under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT). http://www.baztab.ir/news/38520.php Ambassador Zahedi told Voice of America
that the U.S.
approved the start of Iran's $50 billion nuclear program in the 1970s. Two documents in particular, dated April 22, 1975 and April 20, 1976, show that the United States and Iran held negotiations on a nuclear program and the U.S.
was willing to help Iran by setting up uranium enrichment and fuel reprocessing facilities. http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/nsdm292a.htm http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/nsdm292b.htm http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/nsdm324a.htm http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/nsdm324b.htm http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/nssm219a.htm http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/nssm238a.htm http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3983-2005Mar26.html
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian diplomat during the 1960s and 1970s, serving as the country's foreign minister and its ambassador to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Early life
Born in TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, he is the son of General Fazlollah Zahedi
Fazlollah Zahedi
Mohammad Fazlollah Zahedi was an Iranian general and statesman who replaced democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq through a western-backed coup d'état, in which he played a major role.-Early years:Born in Hamedan in 1897, Fazlollah Zahedi was the son of Abol Hassan...
, who served as Prime Minister after the fall of Mohammed Mossadegh. The younger Zahedi received a degree in Agriculture from Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
in 1950, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
. Seven years later, he married the daughter of the Shah of Iran, Princess Shahnaz Pahlavi; the marriage ended in divorce in 1964.
Political life
Zahedi served as ambassador to the United States from 1962 to 1966 and to the United Kingdom from 1962 to 1966. Under Prime Minister Amir Abbas HoveidaAmir Abbas Hoveida
Amir-Abbas Hoveyda, was an Iranian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran from January 27, 1965 to August 7, 1977. He was prime minister for 13 years and is the longest serving prime minister in Iran's history. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance...
, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1966 to 1973.
Zahedi then became ambassador to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1973 until the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
climaxed in January 1979. During his second stint in Washington, he won a reputation for extravagance. In the mid-1970s, Zahedi became known as a companion of the American movie star Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, with the two being dubbed "the hottest couple" in Washington D.C., according to the writer Barbara Howar. During the 1978 Hanafi Muslim Siege of a federal building in Washington, Zahedi and two other ambassadors from Muslim nations were able to talk the hostage takers into surrendering and releasing 149 hostages.
Over the course of 1978, it was reported in some circles that Zahedi urged the Shah to appease the rioters by making scapegoats of several high-ranking officials, including Amir Abbas Hoveida
Amir Abbas Hoveida
Amir-Abbas Hoveyda, was an Iranian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran from January 27, 1965 to August 7, 1977. He was prime minister for 13 years and is the longest serving prime minister in Iran's history. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance...
(then Prime Minister) and SAVAK
SAVAK
SAVAK was the secret police, domestic security and intelligence service established by Iran's Mohammad Reza Shah on the recommendation of the British Government and with the help of the United States' Central Intelligence Agency SAVAK (Persian: ساواک, short for سازمان اطلاعات و امنیت کشور...
director Nematollah Nassiri
Nematollah Nassiri
General Nematollah Nassiri , was the director of SAVAK, the Iranian intelligence agency during the rule of Mohammad Reza Shah. A personal friend of the Shah, he had gained notoriety for removing democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh from power...
. When the Shah fled Iran in 1979, Zahedi was still serving as Ambassador to Washington, but resigned as soon as Khomeini came to power. He started fervent attempts at securing asylum for the ailing Shah and the Imperial family in Panama, Mexico, Marrocco and finally Egypt. He was present at the Shah's death bed and funeral, in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in 1980.
Zahedi is now retired and living in Montreux
Montreux
Montreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He has received honorary Doctoral Degrees of Law and Humanities from Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
, East Texas State University, Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
, St. Louis University, University of Texas, Montana State University
Montana State University - Bozeman
Montana State University – Bozeman is a public university located in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's land-grant university and primary campus in the Montana State University System, which is part of the Montana University System...
, Washington College
Washington College
Washington College is a private, independent liberal arts college located on a campus in Chestertown, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782...
, Westminster College, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Chungang University of Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, and the College of Political and Social Science of Lima in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.http://www1.usu.edu/alumni/spotlight/zahedi.html In December 1976, in a ceremony held in Washington D.C., Mr. Zahedi was awarded the KAPPA Sigma Fraternity ‘Man of the Year’ Award.http://www1.usu.edu/alumni/spotlight/zahedi.html In 2002, he was inducted into to Alumni Hall of Honor of the Utah State University College of Agriculture.http://www1.usu.edu/alumni/spotlight/zahedi.html He has received many awards and honors from nations around the globe for his humanitarian service and record in international affairs.
In an interview in May 2006, Ardeshir Zahedi voiced his support for Iran's Nuclear Program stating it as an "inalienable right of Iran", under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to...
(NPT). http://www.baztab.ir/news/38520.php Ambassador Zahedi told Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
that the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
approved the start of Iran's $50 billion nuclear program in the 1970s. Two documents in particular, dated April 22, 1975 and April 20, 1976, show that the United States and Iran held negotiations on a nuclear program and the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was willing to help Iran by setting up uranium enrichment and fuel reprocessing facilities. http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/nsdm292a.htm http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/nsdm292b.htm http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/nsdm324a.htm http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/nsdm324b.htm http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/nssm219a.htm http://www.ford.utexas.edu/library/document/nsdmnssm/nssm238a.htm http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3983-2005Mar26.html
External links
- Ardeshir Zahedi Authorized Web Site
- Ardeshir Zahedi Authorized web site in Persian
- Zahedi Family Web Site
- Ardeshir Zahedi on Duty
- Zahedi says Nixon approved start of Iran's $50 billion nuclear program in 1973, Voice of AmericaVoice of AmericaVoice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
, 2006. - Ambassador Zahedi's full interview, Voice of AmericaVoice of AmericaVoice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
, 2006. - Ardeshir Zahedi interviews